Was Picard Grooming Geordi For Chief?

[Mojochi]

MacDougall, Shimoda, Argyle, Singh, Lynch, Logan etc... Picard seemed to have had a revolving door of potential chiefs of engineering in that 1st season. Some unnamed people too... Argyle got referred to as "One of our chief engineers". Picard comes into his new ship with a hand picked counselor, chief of security, and 1st & 2nd officers, (I think Bev hadn't been planned) but NO permanent chief of engineering, or at least no one who stuck.

Now, later on, in The Next Phase, Picard tells of his 1st encounter with shuttle pilot Geordi, and how he offhandedly griped about engine efficiency, to which Geordi spent the whole night improving it. He knew then he wanted him for his next assignment. However, when Geordi posts to the 1701-D, 7 years into serving, at age 29, he's still only a LTJG, just like Worf, who's 5 years younger & only been out of the academy like a year or 2. Geordi is the same age & academy class as RIKER! Who's already being offered his own command in 2364, at age 29.

Question #1: Was Geordi being passed over? Surely a guy who can fix a shuttle's engine in a night, by himself, has always been the same amount of talented that we now know him for. Was it maybe because of his handicap? Is he yet another example of one of Picard's "justice" selections, like Worf & Data, or Sito Jaxa & Ro Laren, or even Wesley, all of whom might otherwise have never been given the chance to prove/redeem themselves, due to their checkered history, or even just prejudice about their physical nature, being androids, Klingons, handicapped or too young?

Question #2: Did Picard maybe always know he wanted Geordi as his chief engineer, but Geordi came in at the unjustly low rank of LTJG, & needed time to advance? So, maybe Picard was just cycling thru people down there, finding an ongoing parade of reasons to be unimpressed & oust them, while he bided his time, waiting on Geordi to be ready? Or am I just head canoning too deep again?

 

[XCV330]

There's an episode where Worf mentions Picard likes all his officers to cross-train (how Total Football on a ship the size of Enterprise D works, I do not know). I think it might be kind of like Enterprise on season 1 of Disco.. for that matter Discovery itself. They hadn't really fleshed out or needed a chief engineer so they may have name dropped but didn't get around to it. With Disco they got Reno for season 2.

Picard does mention in season 5 that La Forge once worked all night to fix a shuttle and that drew his attention to him. So I guess the other 3 or 4 chiefs went to make room for La Forge.

My head-cannon as it were: Galaxy Class ships were new and they had several chief engineers on board that first year to avoid the kinds of problems the Refit Constitution had on its initial run, or they might also have been there to learn and then move to other Galaxy class ships being built. If that was the case Geordie might have been on the fast track to taking over..

 

[Dukhat]

Was there anything at all in season 1 that gave any indication that Geordi was supposed to be on a track toward Chief Engineer? Because he seemed to be pretty established as the helmsman.

 

[Sketcher]

Maybe helm was a temporary posting because the engineering staff was full at the time. Geordi had enough skills as a pilot to make it on the Enterprise, and if something opened up in engineering down the road, great.

Same logic I use for why Sulu was an astrophysicist at first on the Enterprise - wants to be a pilot, Enterprise doesn't have any open positions, but he's skilled enough in another area to make it on board.

 

[Uncle Sock]

Was there anything at all in season 1 that gave any indication that Geordi was supposed to be on a track toward Chief Engineer? Because he seemed to be pretty established as the helmsman.

I never understood that either. Geordi becoming chief engineer in season 2 was a complete surprise to me, and to this day I even wonder what qualified him to get that position. All of a sudden he was this engineering whiz kid, when all he ever did before was pilot the ship and on occasion sit in the big chair. It had always been my impression Geordi would eventually advance to a command-role position, so when he wore gold from season 2 onwards, I never fully got why.

The retcon in Next Phase was a nice touch, but still didn't explain the transfer fully.

On top of that, I have often wondered why the Enterprise had only one chief engineer after Geordi took over. Such a massive ship, over 1,000 people aboard, and one chief engineer is responsible for it all? No wonder Geordi was so terrible at dating; he hardly ever got out of the engine room.

I liked that season 1 had several chief engineers. I can absolutely imagine a rotation of several, like one chief engineer for the warp drive systems, one chief engineer for life support systems, etc. etc. etc.

And yes, as usual, there are real world explanations for this. But establishing a rotation of several chief engineers in season 1 to a one-man job season 2 and onwards without any further explanation is just lame.

 

[Mojochi]

Was there anything at all in season 1 that gave any indication that Geordi was supposed to be on a track toward Chief Engineer?

No. Not at all really, except he did find his way down there a few times for certain issues. By all accounts, he is firmly in the red suit command track, even getting to command once, despite his low rank. (From a show production PoV, I think there were a few characters whose roles were up in the air, in season one)

I'm mostly just positing that in retrospect Picard, in his experience, was wise enough to recognize LaForge as potentially a great talent for the role, long before anyone else, even Geordi himself, who maybe never had even planned on it, until Picard put it out there. Until then, maybe he was low in rank still, compared to Riker, and was going to need a spell before he'd be up for any lead role at all.

So, Picard was shifting people around down there until he was satisfied, & maybe he already knew who would be to his satisfaction. That sure does seem like Picard. He had hand picked almost everybody else. Maybe he'd also hand picked a guy before that guy was even ready yet

I do like @XCV330 suggestion that because the ship model was new, & highly advanced there'd have been a number of people coming thru to get time with its systems, but I'm still suspicious Picard was holding off on anything permanent until he could get Geordi positioned & convinced to step into it.

 

[PatB1974]

MacDougall, Shimoda, Argyle, Singh, Lynch, Logan etc... Picard seemed to have had a revolving door of potential chiefs of engineering in that 1st season. Some unnamed people too... Argyle got referred to as "One of our chief engineers". Picard comes into his new ship with a hand picked counselor, chief of security, and 1st & 2nd officers, (I think Bev hadn't been planned) but NO permanent chief of engineering, or at least no one who stuck.

Now, later on, in The Next Phase, Picard tells of his 1st encounter with shuttle pilot Geordi, and how he offhandedly griped about engine efficiency, to which Geordi spent the whole night improving it. He knew then he wanted him for his next assignment. However, when Geordi posts to the 1701-D, 7 years into serving, at age 29, he's still only a LTJG, just like Worf, who's 5 years younger & only been out of the academy like a year or 2. Geordi is the same age & academy class as RIKER! Who's already being offered his own command in 2364, at age 29.

Question #1: Was Geordi being passed over? Surely a guy who can fix a shuttle's engine in a night, by himself, has always been the same amount of talented that we now know him for. Was it maybe because of his handicap? Is he yet another example of one of Picard's "justice" selections, like Worf & Data, or Sito Jaxa & Ro Laren, or even Wesley, all of whom might otherwise have never been given the chance to prove/redeem themselves, due to their checkered history, or even just prejudice about their physical nature, being androids, Klingons, handicapped or too young?

Question #2: Did Picard maybe always know he wanted Geordi as his chief engineer, but Geordi came in at the unjustly low rank of LTJG, & needed time to advance? So, maybe Picard was just cycling thru people down there, finding an ongoing parade of reasons to be unimpressed & oust them, while he bided his time, waiting on Geordi to be ready? Or am I just head canoning too deep again?

Yes, so he would never have to hear "This is Lieutenant Commander Leland T. Lynch!" over the com again.

 

[Riley]

Was there anything at all in season 1 that gave any indication that Geordi was supposed to be on a track toward Chief Engineer? Because he seemed to be pretty established as the helmsman.

And as others mentioned, he also showed promise in command and had the conn more than once, most notably in "The Arsenal of Freedom."

I never understood that either. Geordi becoming chief engineer in season 2 was a complete surprise to me, and to this day I even wonder what qualified him to get that position. All of a sudden he was this engineering whiz kid, when all he ever did before was pilot the ship and on occasion sit in the big chair. It had always been my impression Geordi would eventually advance to a command-role position, so when he wore gold from season 2 onwards, I never fully got why.

The retcon in Next Phase was a nice touch, but still didn't explain the transfer fully.

On top of that, I have often wondered why the Enterprise had only one chief engineer after Geordi took over. Such a massive ship, over 1,000 people aboard, and one chief engineer is responsible for it all? No wonder Geordi was so terrible at dating; he hardly ever got out of the engine room.

I liked that season 1 had several chief engineers. I can absolutely imagine a rotation of several, like one chief engineer for the warp drive systems, one chief engineer for life support systems, etc. etc. etc.

And yes, as usual, there are real world explanations for this. But establishing a rotation of several chief engineers in season 1 to a one-man job season 2 and onwards without any further explanation is just lame.

It would have been nice to distinguish TNG from TOS with multiple engineers; hell, even Scotty had a lot of help on his Enterprise. As for Geordi, I always felt he should have continued on the command track or, at the very least, indicated an interest of returning to that track at some point. Of course, Berman was never going to allow any changes from the status quo, not even in the films, so Georgi was stuck as a chief engineer with the rank of lt. commander all the way through NEM.

Yes, so he would never have to hear "This is Lieutenant Commander Leland T. Lynch!" over the com again.

I'm surprised Picard didn't admonish that guy. "It is not necessary to state your full rank and name in every communication, Commander Lynch."

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

I rather liked MacDougall, but couldn't stand the insufferably self-important Lynch. I never saw Geordi as Chief Engineer coming, either, but the whole "blind guy driving" bit had pretty much run its course, and LeVar is a superb actor (albeit a lousy Jeopardy! host).

 

[Uncle Sock]

I'm surprised Picard didn't admonish that guy. "It is not necessary to state your full rank and name in every communication, Commander Lynch."

I find it absolutely hilarious that Memory Alpha even bothered to include this in Lynch's character bio.

Lynch had the strange habit of announcing his full name when answering or making a com call. Captain Picard demonstrated annoyance at this. (TNG: "Skin Of Evil")

Leland T. Lynch

Lieutenant Commander Leland T. Lynch was an engineer aboard the USS Enterprise-D in the 2360s under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. In 2364, he supervised a realignment of the ship's dilithium crystals – an emergency procedure he had to perform manually when a shuttle carrying Counselor...

memory-alpha.fandom.com

Maybe Picard didn’t say anything because poor Johnny had only been captain of the Enterprise for a short time at that point, and he couldn’t exactly butt heads with everyone—especially given how distant he already came across?

 

[flandry84]

As with O’Brien being seen in security,transporter room and at the helm,I think that the galaxy class was so new that crewmen were given time to cross train and familiarise with every aspect of their field.
All those “chief engineers “ probably rotated over to their own ships in time.
After all holodeck training will never replace hands on experience.

 

[Mojochi]

It would have been nice to distinguish TNG from TOS with multiple engineers; hell, even Scotty had a lot of help on his Enterprise. As for Geordi, I always felt he should have continued on the command track or, at the very least, indicated an interest of returning to that track at some point.

Geordi eventually becomes a commodore. Personally, I like that they went back to a top engineering guy. This is Star Trek. They're supposed to be super advanced people. Maybe it would've been more realistic to have multiple chiefs, but our show here is about the special people of Starfleet. There's no better way to showcase that than having one who is a tech wizard IMHO. Picard showcases the excellence of diplomacy. Data showcases the excellence of our industry. Wesley showcases prodigy. And the one way I thought Pulaski was more interesting than Crusher was that she too seemed to represent the pinnacle of excellence in her domain. Having someone represent that with mastery of the ship seemed as necessary on TNG as it was on TOS imho

 

[Riley]

Geordi eventually becomes a commodore. Personally, I like that they went back to a top engineering guy. This is Star Trek. They're supposed to be super advanced people. Maybe it would've been more realistic to have multiple chiefs, but our show here is about the special people of Starfleet. There's no better way to showcase that than having one who is a tech wizard IMHO. Picard showcases the excellence of diplomacy. Data showcases the excellence of our industry. Wesley showcases prodigy. And the one way I thought Pulaski was more interesting than Crusher was that she too seemed to represent the pinnacle of excellence in her domain. Having someone represent that with mastery of the ship seemed as necessary on TNG as it was on TOS imho

Picard doesn't make the cut for my personal canon, but the idea of Geordi as a command division commodore was a good one. I agree with you completely about Pulaski. I preferred everything about her to the character of Bev Crusher, who I feel was a sleeping hypo in a Starfleet uniform. It wasn't McFadden's fault at all and I wish she'd had a rounder and more interesting character to work with.

 

[FreddyE]

The thread title does sound REALLY wrong....sorry.

But in my head..I think Geordi was always planned to be the chief by Picard...but needed some more experience credits or something before he could actually be moved to that post.

 

[Mojochi]

The thread title does sound REALLY wrong....sorry.

I added "For Chief"

 

[Farscape One]

Geordi had been doing work in engineering in season 1 all the way back to "The Last Outpost", where he not only got the Enterprise ready for a jolty maneuver (despite it not working, but not his fault... Portal was too powerful) but he also got comms back online down there. He clearly showed engineering skill very early.

But being Chief Engineer is more than just being good with engines. That role is, quite probably, THE most important job on a starship. It requires having leadership skills and having a cool head.

I have always felt that right after "The Arsenal of Freedom" was when Picard decided he would be making Geordi his permanent Chief Engineer.

Considering Scotty was a command level officer in TOS (behind only Kirk and Spock), it makes sense to have someone like Geordi as Chief Engineer. Season 1 Geordi was getting all his leadership and bridge officer training before he took over such a key department.

(Plus, Geordi has an advantage no one else has... his visor. It would be QUITE useful in engineering matters.)

 

[Squiggy]

If he was going to be Chief then Picard would have made him Asst. Cheif - or at least plonked him somewhere in the engineering department.

 

[Mojochi]

If he was going to be Chief then Picard would have made him Asst. Cheif - or at least plonked him somewhere in the engineering department.

Maybe, but he was also only still a LTJG after being out of the academy as long as Riker, who'd already been offered his own ship, by 2364. Maybe Picard wanted to give him a good vetting in general, to be sure about him. He did do some things down in Engineering, as part of that.

 

[Jedman67]

Was Picard grooming Geordi? That requires a Starfleet Investigation

 

[Qonundrum]

Behind the scenes, I recall somewhere that TNG was trying to avoid a dedicated Chief Engineer as to differentiate itself from TOS. That didn't work and as Geordi was starting to spend more time down there, adding how LeVar Burton made every syllable of Treknobabble sound authentic (even then the scripts rubberstamped any old Treknodrivel on screen in later seasons), the position shift felt more natural than anything else.

How many chief engineers one needs only makes me think of "too many chefs spoil the broth", never mind how - on top of all that - many Wesley scenes have him saying "Oh I just glanced at that screen and now I rewired the whole ship to be 120000% better and bestest!", which in turn makes that room full of trained and experienced chief engineers (or doctors or counselors) on the ship look like a gaggle of dingdongs. Which they weren't, communication styles by the chiefs combined with hideous scripting to elevate Wesley by making everyone else look dumb... ugh... Also, of all the early episodes, only "Where No One Has Gone Before" feels authentic for Wes regarding the running gag of "nobody listens to me because (I'm a kid/I'm Barclay/I'm Shelby/I'm Ro/I'm not in the clique"). No worries, be it episode 2 or 2000, it's largely the same thing and with no development, that's when it peters out. With a few exceptions like "Pen Pals", "The Dauphin", et al, where there's a better balance of ability and experience combined with remembering he's a teenager and not Q in corporeal form...

So that begs the question, why not make Wesley a custom of Chief Engineer/Captain/Fleet Admiral/Q's Protege all rolled into one? (Please, nooooooooooooooo!...)